Boxee Bought Out Insiders Claim As Cloud DVR Funding Hunt Fails

Boxee, the streaming media company that had attempted to recreate itself from an HTPC software specialist to a set-top box provider, has reportedly been acquired. The news, currently at rumor status but tipped to be officially announced sometime next week according to VentureBeat, is apparently the culmination of several months of Boxee searching for a buyer, after attempts to drum up a new round of funding fell flat.

Chatter of Boxee potentially hunting a buyer broke earlier this week, with AllThingsD reporting that the company was looking for either more investment or a new owner. According to that report, Boxee saw its best chances with a partnership with more traditional pay-TV providers, which would inject the content into its delivery system.

That could've been a galling move for the firm, since Boxee has generally positioned itself as the alternative to expensive, content-saturated traditional TV services. Instead, it has focused on users who are more selective, offering support for Netflix and other on-demand services, as well as free-to-air broadcasts using a low-cost tuner.

Most recently, Boxee attempted to branch out into the cloud, rebranding the Boxee TV into the Boxee Cloud DVR and offering a combination of free-to-air access and web-based DVR service. However, sales were apparently less than impressive, and Boxee's legacy audience had already grown frustrated with the company's decision to axe software development as well as shutter support for its first-gen hardware.

Exactly who has bought up Boxee is unclear, though VentureBeat's sources say that interest in the company proved less enthusiastic than it had expected. That meant a lower final price than had been hoped for too, though exact figures haven't been leaked.